New Choices in Winter Tires

Well, as winter approaches in Colorado, I have been looking into snow tires. In Colorado Springs, we get 85% cold dry roads, 8% heavy slushy snow, and 8% VERY deep snow. So needless to say, I want a tire that will perform in the dry also.

 

I had been looking at the Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds, which were new last year, but now Goodyear and Continental have some interesting additions:

Continental ContiWinterContact TS810

Goodyear Eagle Ultra Grip GW-3

Goodyear Ultra Grip Performance

 

Any thoughts? Anyone tried any one of these in a different size on a different vehicle?

People with Porsche Boxters seem to like the Conti's . But it seems to depend on what you want. The GW-3's seem the most aggressive but are H rated, the other two are less agressive and V rated, I would probably go witht the best value with the Ultra Grip Performance, and they come in the correct size.

All four are V rated when they are XL rated and 225/45-17...

Kumho I'zen KW17 (left) & Yokahama AVS AV901 (right)

 

Designs geared toward cold dry and light snow performance conditions but both do carry the Severe Snow Conditions symbol. Can be hard to track down though.

I personally run these

https://www.tiresavings.com/tireShop.php?action=findMan2&tirename=Viking+SnowTech&season=Snow

The Ultra Grip GW-3 looks identical to the Ultra Grip Ice, which I bought last year and will be re-mounting in November. I was happy with it, and plan to use them up. However I'll be getting full-on winter tires next time. I can't bring myself to drive hard on a snow tire, so the 'performance' aspect is lost on my anyways.

 

But some of the cops around here run those tires year-round so I assume they must be pretty good off the snow. We only get a few snowy days a year.

UG Ice has different compound than GW-3, even though the tread pattern might be identical.

 

Krzys

 

PS I think speed ratings are different too.

I heard a lot of good reviews concerning the W300s. I am 90% sure I will give them a try this winter.

 

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?c=1&sw=true&cs=225&pc=11709&rd=17&ar=45

I'm far from an expert on the roads there, but...

 

(1) wouldn't all-seasons be "good enough" for most roads out there that your LGT can actually clear?

 

(2) that said, it would seem to me that a "low" LGT simply would be problem in terms of height, not so much traction. Clearing drifts, obstacles and what not. No? Sounds like a truck is called for or at least an Outback or something with more ride height.

I'm not a tire expert, which tread pattern looks to be more oriented for grip in dry weather opposed to snow/foul weather traction?

 

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/conti/co_ContiWinterContact_ts810s_ci1_l.jpghttp://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/dunlop/du_spwintersport_3d_ci1_l.jpg

Continental ContiWinterContact TS810 Dunlop Winter Sport 3Ds

 

 

I was kinda debating both of these was well. I would have liked to see more reviews on the Contis myself.

 

A whole $3 per tire difference between the two.

Ted, I thought you were running the Hankook W300?

Personally I like the Nokian WR's. I used to run them in my Celica.

I ran Dunlap M3 Wintersport tires 215 x 50 x 17 on my 07 Spec. B .last winter. Great tire on snow & ice and has a sharp steering response on dry roads. Worked out well for me in snowy Maine:spin:

Let's see, to answer the questions...

 

I ran W300s for two winters, they were sold w/ the stock rims that don't clear my brakes

 

I have used WRs. Good tires, but since these are winters anyway, I will go full winter. The WRs are great everywhere but ice. My wife's car went from the WRs to the GW-3s, and there was a noticeable difference in snow and ice (In a good way)

 

They are all within about $5 a tire. Interestingly enough, Goodyear puts the Ultra Grip better across the board than the GW-3.

 

I don't want all-seasons because sometimes I have to plow through 18" of snow. I am lowered, so I need more traction to make the bigger hole

 

I am leaning towards the new Goodyear Ultra Grips right now...

 

Ted

I was peeking at performance winter tires comparison in consumer reports. They suggest the Goodyears for severe winter while the Continental TS810's where freezing weather is infrequent.

 

Guide to the Ratings

Overall score emphasizes safety-related tests, including braking, handling, and resistance to hydroplaning. We scored performance on snow and ice more heavily for winter tires. Scores and ratings are held to a comparative standard within a tire category. For instance, H speed rated, V speed rated, and performance winter tire ratings in this report are not comparable to one another or to previously tested tires. Dry braking was from 60 mph, and wet braking was from 40 mph with the antilock brake system engaged. Handling includes how well the tires gripped in an avoidance maneuver involving a swerve into the left lane and back into the right lane; dry and wet cornering grip; and subjective steering feel. Hydroplaning reflects how quickly we could drive through standing water before the tires begin to lose contact with the pavement. Rolling resistance, measured on a dynamometer, is a factor in fuel economy. (We didn’t test the winter tires for rolling resistance and tread wear.) Snow traction reflects the distance our test car needed to accelerate from 5 to 20 mph on moderately packed snow. We tested ice braking on a skating rink from 10 mph with the ABS disengaged. Ride and noise reflect our onroad judgments. Price is retail we paid in late 2005. Performance all-season tires either don’t have a tread-wear warranty or it ranges between 30,000 to 80,000 miles. Tread life is the indicator of wear potential from CR’s 16,000-mile mixed-driving test and is not part of the overall score.

Yeah, I saw that last year and that is wh my wife's car got the GW-3s...

 

But, many of the companies in that test have new tires that are better than the old ones, or revised versions, so that test doen't completely apply here...

Thanks though

 

Ted

//

 

I have used WRs. Good tires, but since these are winters anyway, I will go full winter. The WRs are great everywhere but ice. My wife's car went from the WRs to the GW-3s, and there was a noticeable difference in snow and ice (In a good way)///

The WR's seem to be much better than dedicated snows on wet roads. So if you're likely to get a mix of rain, snow, and ice - like New England - they're a top choice. For areas away from the coasts, temps are lower and you tend to have more hard packed snow and ice, so the dedicated snows seem a better choice, if more expensive. I have WR's and RSI's and now only mount the RSI's for mid January through February when there's the highest chance of heavy snows. We're replacing all the dedicated snows on our company cars with WR's.

 

The tires you've named all seem to have great word-of-mouth.

 

ADAC.DE tests tires - but in German.

www.snowtire.info is informative and impartial.

Consumer Reports is impartial and tested some of the tires you name, but their methodology kind of sucks. For example, their ice tests are on a hockey rink at 10 mph - not very realistic. And they don't include the raw data.

See what I wrote above

Its just too bad Nokian's are substantially pricier than the other performance counterparts. They are good as I have owned a few sets(Civic's) but the price differential is large. However they manage to be quite good and usable in the summer albeit with average dry traction.

 

Great near coast tire where you get snow.

Is there any Wheel-snow tire package available? Since, I will go up to the mountain for skiing every weekend, I need one...

Another question.. If it snows a lot in CO, is the low clearance problem for LGT? I have Outback but it's NA so I prefer drive my LGT up to the mountain.

Thanks.

Get the Dunlops.

Is there any Wheel-snow tire package available? Since, I will go up to the mountain for skiing every weekend, I need one...

Another question.. If it snows a lot in CO, is the low clearance problem for LGT? I have Outback but it's NA so I prefer drive my LGT up to the mountain.

Thanks.

 

Check online vendors like edgeracing or subydude, they usually give you a price break with wheel/tire package. TireRack has better selections but they don't usually give you a discount.

As long as the roads are plowed you are not going to have any problem with clearance.

As far as dedicated snow tires are concerned, has anyone used the Bridgestone Blizzaks? They seem to have pretty good opinions and are priced right!

As far as dedicated snow tires are concerned, has anyone used the Bridgestone Blizzaks? They seem to have pretty good opinions and are priced right!

 

Which ones? High performance or studless ice? LM-22/LM-25 or WS-50/WS-60/Revo1?

 

Krzys

I'm planning on getting a set of Dunlops 3D's in 205/50/17 for the winter. A slightly narrower tire is better in the snow. The other tires listed in the first post don't come in that size so I don't think I'll consider them. I had a set of Dunlop M3's on my last car and they were great.

STUDDED FTW! but ftl in the dry